U.N. envoy to disputed Palestinian territories resigns

January 6, 2016 Agencies
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The United Nations Human Rights Council’s (UNHRC) special investigator for the disputed Palestinian territories, Makarim Wibisono, announced his resignation on Monday, citing Israel’s refusal to grant him access to the West Bank and Gaza Strip as a factor in his decision.

United NationsIn a statement announcing his resignation, Wibisono, an Indonesian diplomat, expressed “deep concern at the lack of effective protection of Palestinian victims of continuing human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law.”

Wibisono replaced U.S. legal expert Richard Falk in 2014. Falk, who is Jewish, had promoted a boycott of Israel and endorsed 9/11 conspiracy theories.

Like Falk, Wibisono had expressed anti-Israel views. According to U.N. Watch, Wibisono accused Israel of “unconscionable use of force against the Palestinians,” “untenable acts of aggression,” and a “policy of retribution against the entire Palestinian nation.”

Israel has long accused the U.N. of anti-Israel bias and has rejected the world body’s post of an independent investigator for the Palestinian territories.

“The Israeli decision was the consequence of the distorted and biased mandate given to the rapporteur,” said Emmanuel Nahshon, a spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman, Reuters reported.

A spokesperson for the Israeli embassy in Canberra told J-Wire: “We believe that the main reason behind Mr Wibisono’s resignation is the clearly biased and unbalanced mandate he had been given in 2014 by the Human Right Council, which prevented him from to fulfilling his mission in an impartial manner. We must also remember that the first Human Right Council’s special rapporteur who resigned (the first of six that would follow) clearly stated the reason for his resignation was the unfair mandate under which he operated.”

With JNS.org

 

Comments

2 Responses to “U.N. envoy to disputed Palestinian territories resigns”
  1. David Singer says:

    The UN has once again been hoisted on its own petard and its anti-Israel bias has been exposed for all to see. At least Wibisono had the decency to resign.

    Is there a UN Special Rapporteur with oversight for the tragic killings and rape of Syria that has been going on for the last 5 years that has seen 300000 die and seven million internally and externally displaced?

  2. Erica Edelman says:

    Clearly after 7 ppl something is not working.
    Can’t someone get the mandate right?
    Can’t a well-educated, insightful – even impartial!
    Investigator be found ?
    Someone who can unravel the lies, dig out the
    Dust from the drama and implement some
    Strategies that will put reality into the limelight – namely
    That the leadership in these Palestinian Territories has failed and that the leadership (oxymoronic)
    are
    A bunch of uneducated, villainous and ratbag despots who are
    Not the slightest interested in the welfare of their ppl.
    Stop blaming Israel !

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